U. S. Department of Agriculture,
Division of Forestry,
_Washington, D. C., December 4, 1897._
Sir: I have the honor to recommend that the two articles contributed
by me to the Yearbooks for 1894 and for 1895 on forestry for farmers
be reprinted as a Farmers' Bulletin. The articles contain information
in popular form regarding the growth of trees, the planting of a
forest, treatment of the wood lot, the cultivation of the wood crop,
influence of trees, etc. A wider distribution of this information, for
which there is still considerable demand, would, I believe, result in
acquainting farmers with a subject the importance of which has not
always been duly recognized.
Very respectfully,
B. E. Fernow, _Chief_.
Approved:
James Wilson, _Secretary_.
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CONTENTS.
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Page.
How trees grow 3
Food materials and conditions of growth 3
Soil conditions 4
Light conditions 6
Physiology of tree growth 9
"Sap up and sap down" 10
Progress of development 11
Growth in length and ramification 11
Growth in thickness 14
Form development 17
Rate of growth 19
Reproduction 21
How to plant a forest 22
What trees to plant 23
Methods of planting 26
How to treat the wood lot 28
Improvement cuttings 29
Methods of reproducing the wood crop 31
Size of openings 34
Wind mantle 34
Coppice 35
Plan of management 37
How to cultivate the wood crop 37
Effect of light on wood production 38
Number of trees per acre 38
Weeding and cleaning the crop 40
Methods of thinning 40
What trees to remove 41
The relation of forests to farms 42
The forest waters the farm 44
The forest tempers the farm 45
The forest protects the farm 45
The forest supplies the farm with useful material 46